Plasma Flashlight: A Portable Medical Device

Designed to eliminate most of the bacteria that harmful for physical body health, that is the new medical gadget created by a group of Chinese and Australian scientists from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering, The University of Sydney and City University of Hong Kong.

This handheld Plasma Flashlight has bigger shape compare to the similar looking plasma brush that was introduced by University of Missouri back in December last year.

The group of researchers have discovered that highly-reactive nitrogen and oxygen related species are capable to kill harmful pathogens, utilizing the ultraviolet radiation principle to achieve the desire results.

Capable to kill any disease-causing pathogens using temperature very close to room temperature, this Handheld Plasma Flashlight is designed to be ‘safe’ to skin layers without opposing the main purpose of the device for eliminating harmful bacteria located beneath the skin’s surface. The Plasma Flashlight comes with its own customized resistors in order to prevent overheating and it is safe to touch without worry of heat burns.

During the experiment, the plasma flashlight shown a deep penetration into the very bottom level of the skin layers to kill the bacteria. The generated ultraviolet light shown to be effective to inactivate the resistant thick biofilms generated by pathogen such as Enterococcus faecalis, a germ that seems to be resistant to heat treatment and antibiotics, that sometimes causing infections in dental surgery.

This torch-like, handheld plasma device is meant for a simple medical gadget that kill harmful surface bacteria in settings where clean water and medications are scarce.

The handheld plasma flashlight is capable to deliver a charged or ionized jet of gas to zap/kill germs, is relative mini in size compare to the conventional, bulky refrigerator-sized hot plasma sterilizers, which are being used to disinfect surgical instruments, are expensive, operate at high temperatures and requires external power such as wall electrical supply or electric generator as well as gas feed in order to get it working.

Operation could be done using Â power from a 12-volt battery that could be easily inserted into the torch like Plasma Flashlight, while the bacteria’s inactivation could be done in tens of seconds. Should be a wonderful medical gadget that could significantly reduce the time needed by dentists to fix their patients’ teeth.